You! Don’t Press that Button! - Chap 117

How many days had passed in this dark place? I hadn’t been given any meals since arriving here. The reason was simple. Unable to contain my anger at the employee who giggled and sneered in front of a dying bird, I’d bitten his finger hard.

Though I knew I needed to behave to avoid ending up like the collapsed bird nearby, I just couldn’t hold back. If there was any fortune in this misfortune, perhaps due to my special title as Bird-folk, the auction house employees didn’t inflict direct violence on me. Since I was a rare species not easily found anymore, they said I needed to remain unmarked to maximize both the starting and final auction prices.

“Cheep…”

When I turned my head, I could see the bird that had been soaked in blood fortunately regaining health and eating feed. As I stared steadily, it passed a few pieces of feed through the bars.

“Peep.”

I might not have starved to death thanks to this bird. Perhaps knowing I’d gotten angry on its behalf, the black-feathered bird shared its feed with me.

“Pweek…”

“Coo. Coo-coo.”

Though we were both birds, we couldn’t communicate, perhaps because our calls were different. Still, it felt nice, as if the bird was saying thank you. Though it was hard to distinguish since the completely black bird had black eyes too, I could see them glinting with concern.

Perhaps because the three days of Atlena were approaching, my body had no energy. When I tucked my seemingly shrunken bottom into the cage corner, I felt the bars’ pattern pressing against me. Just as I let out a heavy sigh, something sharp poked my bottom weakly.

Hey kid… I’m fine!I spread and flapped my wings while showing my back, and only then did the black bird stop with its beak. A worried “coo” sounded once before falling silent.

When would Karhan come? Surely I wouldn’t be sold to someone else like this?

As time passed and my condition worsened, useless worries piled up like flesh. The hot fever starting from my head felt like it was gradually erasing my consciousness like an eraser.

I think this was my first time being alone during the three days of Atlena. Karhan had always been by my side.

I slowly lowered my head while moving my heavy eyelids sluggishly. I wouldn’t just disappear, right? Remembering Lairas’s words about my body becoming transparent once, I looked at my wings. Though slightly dirty, they were still white and plump.

“Pee-yoo…”

Phew… The fact that nothing had happened yet was a great comfort to me.

Though these three days of Atlena without Karhan’s blood would be painful, my round eyes curved on their own imagining that Karhan might appear when I opened my eyes after losing consciousness.

That would be nice.

When Atlena ends, I wish Karhan would appear before me like magic. Just like always.

My breathing grew increasingly labored as time passed. My vision blurred and I felt my sitting body gradually tilting sideways. Rolling, my round body hit the opposite bars ungracefully.

“Peep…”

I miss you, Karhan.

My already narrow vision grew increasingly tight before fading to black.

🐤

Eiron Valdez, Baron Valdez’s son using the alias ‘Hans’, couldn’t hide his smile with beauties pressed against both sides.

How long had it been since he’d had such fun? Though his teeth still ground at the memory of having to bow and speak politely to someone without even a noble title, he thought it wasn’t so bad to have some fun before handing him over to the redhead.

Though the male prostitutes fawning at his sides now were pretty, they couldn’t hold a candle to the looks of the one who seemed to belong to Duke Barthes. With silver-white hair that sparkled like sunlit snow matching his appearance without any sense of discord, he resembled a white flower blooming in the fields.

“Ugh, good. So good. How long has it been.”

Eiron showed his satisfaction at the soft touch stroking his thigh. Just months ago, he wouldn’t have thought of enjoying such foreplay before sex, but with his newfound leisure, he’d come to think this wasn’t so bad.

He roughly reached out to grab a fistful of hair and bent back the neck. That was when it happened.

Click, the doorknob turned and the firmly closed door slowly opened.

“What the hell. Who said you could come in!”

Who is it right when I was about to have some fun? Eiron angrily threw down the hair he was holding as if tossing it to the floor and stood up. Seemingly frightened by his voice, the door stopped barely open a span.

Not even aware of his naked body’s indecency, Eiron approached the slightly open door while breathing heavily. He’d make whoever interrupted his pleasant time pay dearly. Thanks to successfully completing the job, he had plenty of money from Asdion. With this much money, he could easily manipulate most people here.

Eiron, mistaking his money for power, pulled the doorknob. His leisurely expression turned pale in an instant.

“Huk!”

He couldn’t control his trembling hands and legs. His throat dried up as if hit by drought, becoming rough.

“D-Duke Bar-Barthes…”

Facing someone who shouldn’t be before him, Eiron forgot even how to breathe.

A man was crouched in a corner of the crude room, trembling. He’d been in that state ever since Karhan personally threw him down when he tried to escape earlier.

After watching that sight for a while, Karhan slowly approached. He drew his sword and slowly raised it from below to point at the neck. The sharp blade tip lightly pricked the Adam’s apple.

“Yes. You did seem suspicious.”

“Y-Your Grace…”

When the man parted his lips, Karhan’s blade tip gleamed more sharply. The blade against his throat made a slight wound as if applying pressure, and small droplets of blood formed and trickled down his neckline. Terrified, the man seemed unaware he was even bleeding.

“I’ll keep this brief. Where did you put Seol?”

“If I tell you, ack!”

Karhan’s blade moved closer, indicating he wouldn’t listen to any nonsense. The trembling man suddenly raised his head. He’d heard people’s voices murmuring outside the closed door. Seeing his chance, he frantically crawled forward and shouted, not caring if his throat got cut:

“H-help! Here! The duke is trying to kill someone…!”

The moment he reached toward the door, his voice cut off as the door flew open. Thinking he was saved, Eiron let out a hehe laugh. Even a duke couldn’t just threaten and kill someone so recklessly.

Looking up expectantly at the person backlit by the corridor lights, the face seemed somehow familiar. His gaping mouth froze stiff.

“Hello. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Asmil, who appeared opening the door, showed a smile while narrowing his eyes. He raised his hand and waved it side to side as if greeting an old friend.

“W-why are you…”

“I came because it looked interesting. Having a good chat?”

Asmil crouched to meet Eiron’s eye level. His heavily contracted pupils trembled delicately, filled with chaos, before his trembling lips let out a despairing laugh.

“Ha, haha! You bastards should know your limits in treating people like water…!”

As if he’d never been frightened, he jumped up and clenched his fists tight. His fierce eyes turned toward Karhan and Asmil.

“You two planned this together, right? Huh? You’re playing with me!”

Eiron’s mind filled with rage. Asdion who had given him orders was clearly Asmil’s subordinate. Yet here were Asmil and Karhan appearing together before him. They must be playing games with him.

Damn bastards. Those with power had a hobby of playing with those beneath them. Forgetting his own actions, Eiron charged at Asmil who looked relatively weaker. Just as he smiled thinking Asmil must be scared when his eyes widened slightly.

Suddenly the door opened wider and someone sprang out. His vision flipped without even time to scream. As he blinked stupidly, he suddenly felt a hand strongly gripping the back of his neck.

“Kuk!”

His clothes pulled taut, pressing against his throat. Eiron, who had been rolling pathetically on the floor, barely managed to look behind him. There he saw a rather familiar face.

“You’re… from the main gate then.”

The man who had already lost his judgment smiled broadly.

“Right, I remember! You’re a knight, aren’t you? If you help me escape from here, I’ll specially give you money!”

As the hand gripping his nape weakened, he hurriedly raised his knees and grabbed Doel’s pantleg. Unlike his servile behavior, his tone was utterly arrogant. Eiron’s eyes still gleamed with blind desire.

“I’ll give you money a mere knight could never earn in a lifetime! Come on, hurry and…”

Watching this behavior with narrowed eyes, Doel raised one corner of his mouth in a sneer. He roughly threw Eiron against the wall hard enough to crack it, yanking his nape violently. Caught off guard by the sudden force, the man couldn’t react and hit his head hard against the wall, his body trembling. Thick drool dripped from his widely opened mouth.

“Huh, heuk…”

As the man clutched his chest struggling to breathe, Doel strode over and crouched before him.

“If I’d known this would happen, I should have just locked you up back then…”

Doel’s voice, even lower than usual, spread through the silent room. Cold silver-gray eyes slowly traced his profile. Doel’s heart had been beating uncontrollably fierce for a while now. Judging by the sound, it was close to rage and regret complexly intertwined.

“You knew?”

At Karhan’s question, Doel slightly averted his gaze to look at the yellowed wall. After silently organizing his thoughts, he swallowed his hesitation and raised his head. But before he could part his lips, fierce hands gripped his throat, choking him.

“Why did you leave this alone?”